Admissions Officer Advice: From High School to College Graduation

Webinar Transcription

2022-01-13 Admissions Officer Advice: From High School to College Graduation

[00:00:00] Hi, everyone. Welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s webinar on, um, from high school to college: Mapping your goals. To orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’ll start up with a presentation, then answer your questions in a live Q and A on the sidebar. You can download our slides and you can start submitting your questions in the Q and a tab.

Now let’s meet our panelists. Hi everyone. I’m Shannon Kennedy. I’m an associate director with CollegeAdvisor. Uh, so I work with a range of high school students. I’m on their college process. I am located here in Evanston, Illinois, which is the home of Northwestern university, where I worked for a number of years in admissions and obtained my.

Um, master’s degree as well. Um, I’ve worked in a variety of other types of institutions in the Chicago area. And prior to all that, uh, was even an elementary teacher and [00:01:00] attended a Penn state university for my undergraduate degree. So excited to talk to you tonight and just kind of give you some big picture tips about your overall kind of career goals and trajectory through the college process.

Yes. So we are very excited. And first we’re going to start off with a quick poll. So what grade are you in? Eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th, or 12th or other, and other can be if you’re a parent or if you’re a transfer student or taking a gap year, and while we wait for those answers to roll in, uh, Shannon, can you tell us a little bit about your sort of career?

Oh, my goodness. That could take a while. The short story is I originally thought I wanted to major in business and throughout college realized that wasn’t the right, uh, path for me, ended up in majoring in elementary education and taught for a little while. And. Also [00:02:00] decided wasn’t the right thing for me and wanted to be in a, kind of a different area of education.

So, um, ended up getting a master’s in higher education and working at Northwestern and a variety of other, um, colleges before getting back to a more student focused, a role like this, working with students. So I really enjoy thinking about kind of like. The full range of education. I’ve worked in every grade level, um, practically.

Um, and so I love, uh, you know, like helping people navigate this. Yes. And, uh, education is honestly the best field and there’s so much within it. So that is great to know, and it is looking like 1% of the audience is an eighth grade. 1% is a ninth grade. A 20 13% is an eighth grade. They can present as a ninth grade.

25% is in 10th grade. Um, 25% is 11th grade and [00:03:00] 25% since upgrade. So. It’s a pretty mixed group, full range. Great. And he can control the slides. Okay. Fantastic. All right. So our presentation today is going to cover some kind of typical questions about the goal setting process and kind of like the trajectory through college, um, and even, uh, beginning to think about the process and setting your goals.

So, uh, starting from the beginning, when should you start thinking about the college process? Um, Most typical for students to start, you know, sometime during high school, maybe at the end of 10th grade, beginning of 11th grade, they start getting exposed to standardized tests, start getting more opportunities to meet with their high school counselor and get some basic information about the college process.

Maybe take some career interest inventory is, or, you know, Get a little bit more invested in [00:04:00] extracurricular projects that help them figure out their direction. So a lot of students kind of start thinking about that, that end of high school at that time. But then there are some others who may be start thinking as soon as middle school and like figuring out what they want to do.

Um, Sometimes students have choices as to where they will attend high school and, um, specialized types of high schools. So sometimes this kind of goal-setting process or a timeline, um, fits accelerated a little bit for students who have that kind of special interest or want to attend a high school with a certain.

So it can start a little sooner for some students. Um, but if you don’t get started by the fall of 12th grade, it’ll be hard to kind of keep the traditional timeline of graduating and going right on to college as a lot of the work happens in the fall of 12th grade. So, uh, I guess I should say as this answer is, there’s not one answer, one [00:05:00] size fits all for everybody.

It’s kind of really individual process. So there’s always. Different path for each person. And similarly, there are lots of factors to consider and each person may place different weight on the different factors in their decision-making process about kind of what to research and what is most important to them in the college admissions process.

Um, me personally, I always feel like academics need to be really at the top of the list. I mean, that’s why we’re going to college, right. To get that education. Um, I’m sure. Uh, not everybody puts it at the top of the list, but I believe it definitely should be. Um, so that’s why I put at the top here. So you want to, um, research the majors, the quality of the programs that are offered, um, and make sure the things that you’re interested in.

Available at the colleges that you’re thinking of applying to. Um, I also [00:06:00] placed, uh, something really high at the top, um, that is often neglected, which is affordability. So a lot of times people don’t think too much about this until it’s actually a little bit too late to think about it. Um, so I wanted to place that near the top to just to point that out, that.

So really important to kind of start researching and understanding kind of how much this is going to cost and how you can manage it. Um, and have a range of options on your list in terms of price as well. So always a financial kind of safety option on that list too. So I like to point out that should really be an important factor to think about early on.

Um, the rest maybe are a little bit more dependent on what’s important to you. Um, And in no particular order, in my opinion, so a career, it can come outcomes is something else that you could be researching and learning about, uh, for different institutions. And the government has a website that puts out.

Data about, [00:07:00] um, salary ranges for different majors and, uh, graduation rates. Um, so there’s a lot of data to mine on career outcomes and salaries. Um, location is usually pretty important to students as well. I’m thinking about whether you want to be close to home far in a big city, um, or what that setting looks like for.

It’s not as important to everybody, but, um, thinking about, again, the costs of getting back and forth to whatever that place may be. So location definitely can factor in, um, size as well. What sort of environment, uh size-wise uh, will you really thrive in, we get lost in a big institution or, um, feel more at home in a small place or feel smothered maybe in a small place.

So it depends upon you kind of what size is right for you. Um, if you do kind of start realizing you have some preferences on location in size, these are great. [00:08:00] Ways to filter down that big list of colleges pretty easily, um, without some sort of preferences on those, it’s hard to kind of whittle it down.

So those are good ones to think about. Um, student culture can be a little bit harder to kind of filter by. There’s not a lot of ways to kind of really identify with. The community of, um, this particular campus, like, so talking to students, figuring out if there are student groups there that you would imagine yourself being a part of.

Um, and just trying to do some research to get. You know, an idea of what the vibe is like on that campus. Um, the alumni network might also be really important to you. Um, depending on what industry you’re entering. There are certainly some really powerful, uh, alumni networks, particularly in certain industries that you might consider as you’re thinking about kind of your, your goals and your [00:09:00] career goals.

So all of those things that could certainly be important and the most important thing is, um, Where you’re going to be successful in and how those different factors will impact you. So figuring out kind of what you’re looking for and getting that, um, priority list together in some sort of order, uh, that’s personal to you.

Um, we often recommend, you know, visiting different types of colleges, uh, to get a sense for this. And, um, a lot of students, you know, have in mind that they want to go far away. They don’t even want to look at colleges nearby. But I, I definitely encourage students just to start with a visit. It’s something local, um, because it’s easy, it’s doable and immediately can get you acclimated to the lingo that you hear on these visits.

Um, and just kind of immediately give you a gauge of like, the size is too big, too [00:10:00] small. It didn’t have this or that. And kind of just really help you narrow down. So, um, I think this is a really good idea, especially now because of all the different visiting restrictions it’s can be really hard to plan out a trip, you know, across the country, um, for college visits.

Um, so if you can kind of keep an eye on your restrictions locally, a little bit better, then you might be able to, you know, fit in a visit on a shorter notice to a local institution, just to kind of give you a flavor and get used to. Because there are so many restrictions right now, there are so many virtual visit options and fairs.

Um, if you click on any visit link on the college, uh, admissions page, you’re going to find tons of options. I’m sure. Um, a lot of recorded things and things you can do. You’ve been on your own timeframe. Um, Even, you know, shows, uh, like on Amazon prime and whatnot now about different college campuses. So there, there are tons [00:11:00] of virtual things, if you can’t actually, you know, step foot on a campus.

So, um, go to the websites, um, you can even sign up for information on the websites and I’m sure you’ll start getting mailing emails, notifications about different virtual things that you can take. Talking with current students is great. So if you can reach out maybe through your high school counselors or something to students from your area who’ve gone on to different colleges, or if you are, um, working with CollegeAdvisor, we have this huge network of people that we can help you talk with, um, that a ton different institutions.

Through your own, you know, personal like family members and connections. If you start asking, you’ll find, you know, real people that you can get in touch with to learn more from a student about what it’s like, which would be a great opportunity to learn more. Um, you can always try to get on a campus in the [00:12:00] summer or for like a.

Um, a special program or events, and there’s a lot of summer class opportunities. Of course, some of those are virtual at the moment, but it’s still maybe gives you a little bit of a flavor of what the students there are. Like what the professors are like. Um, you learn a little bit about how the institution works and how, what the majors are Oregon.

By kind of getting involved in some way, in a course or program at that institution. So it’s a great way to get started. It can be, um, difficult, you know, to kind of find that right fit. Um, so really want to start, you know, thinking about what your personal priorities are, like, the factors that I listed earlier, kind of what order would they come in for you?

And you should hopefully realize that a lot of different colleges will probably satisfy your top [00:13:00] priority. Um, there could be a lot more than just one, right. Fits and kind of keep an open mind as you’re going and try not to focus too much on rankings. Um, you need to think about like your personal ranking, you know, what is most important to you and kind of try to.

Phase out that noise of all the media and, and social media, um, around the rankings and, um, stay focused on what’s important to you. Right. Um, this is, uh, can be a kind of like a long process. Um, so sometimes people think, you know, like they, they have to know at the beginning of their senior year or the end of their junior year, what their list is and what their top choices.

And some people will, but, um, Some people will continue to kind of figure this out as they go through the application process and continue to kind of like add and subtract to their list and just [00:14:00] kind of doing the application itself for a college sometimes helps you figure out kind of which ones are a better fit for you.

You’ll often have to do some. Research as you’re completing the application to decide which major you’re applying to, or to write a statement about why you want to attend that college. Um, sometimes they may ask questions that seem like really weird to you and like, not like something you want to participate in.

And so that may help you rule out a particular college as well. Or you just may start doing it and realize. I don’t like this enough to do all this work. It’s a lot of work to do the process. So the application process itself helps students kind of narrow in a little bit on their choices usually. Um, and then once you’re admitted to institutions, you’ll have more opportunities to engage with students.

Um, so you don’t have to be, you know, a hundred percent sure. About a place before you [00:15:00] apply, but you can continue to kind of learn more after you get admitted as well and attend additional, um, in person or virtual events to kind of help you make that final choice. So it’s a definitely a, a long and ongoing process, but you just have to think about you and what would be the right things for you.

Um, Some people want to kind of hone in on a particular type of institution or, um, maybe, uh, don’t understand kind of like the differences between different types of institutions and, and what they’re good at. I think I find that, you know, some students, um, I end up with all different types of institutions on their list for one reason or another.

Um, but others, you know, really want to focus on just liberal arts or a certain professional program. Um, so liberal arts institutions [00:16:00] tend to have, um, a Y. Preparation and critical thinking, research, communication, analytical skills, kind of preparing you with skills that could be used in practically any career or industry, um, and giving you that broad foundation.

Um, and really setting you up to go on to a higher level degree, um, professional programs, you know, that produce specialized skills or credentials engineering teaching are really preparing you for a particular career trajectory upon graduation. Um, smaller colleges tend to foster that really, you know, tight knit community, um, where you’re going to form those, um, close connections.

That’ll go on to be, you know, that alumni network in the future or that professor, that you can always contact, um, for a reference or help [00:17:00] in your industry, um, versus larger institutions, which may give you. A multitude of opportunities, um, you know, limitless things to pursue, uh, and the experience of navigating, you know, a larger place where you need to really, um, Take initiative to get involved in the things that are going to launch you further.

So different types of institutions can, um, have slightly different outcomes, but, um, it’s really dependent on you and kind of how you utilize those things that are available there again. And what is going to be sort of the best fit for you.

Um, If you do have a particular career in mind, kind of going into college, there could be a range of ways to kind of figure out how to achieve that end goal or figure out how to [00:18:00] which college will be the best fit for that end goal. Um, sometimes, uh, and I put a couple of examples in here of careers that are.

With students on recently. Um, so something like a physician assistant, there is a physician assistant, you know, association, which lists, you know, all of the accredited universities that provide that, um, Training, um, as well as something like architecture, which I have previously worked in a college of architecture, my husband happens to be an architect.

So this is one I’m pretty familiar with, um, where, you know, there are a couple of different ways to achieve the credential that you need to be a licensed architect. Um, and there are only a certain number of schools that, um, Qualify you to, um, take the exams to complete that certification. So it’s, sometimes it’s looking at the career.

Um, [00:19:00] Kind of a licensing institution and figuring out which colleges, um, are certified to produce students to that license. So working backwards sometimes, um, LinkedIn is another possible way to search and find, you know, people who are in that industry and where they’ve attended, what kinds of degrees they’ve achieved in order to be in that position.

So, again, kind of working backwards, um, in your own LinkedIn or just some of the general search or through a family member or somebody who, you know, that works in that career. Um, college boards, big future search engine does allow you to filter by career, um, in search in that way. Informational interviews are a great tool as well.

So if you don’t have time, you know what to do an internship or shadow, you can just kind of reach out to someone and ask to talk to them for, you know, 30 minutes or an hour and [00:20:00] find out, you know, what, what their career industry is, how they got there. What advice would they have for you? Um, people are usually pretty willing to talk to students who, um, are wanting to, um, learn more about.

So I highly recommend that. Um, again, you know, getting out there for a few days to shadow somebody, that’s, it’s usually, you know, um, a possibility if you’re willing to put yourself out there and ask, um, again, summer programs are always, um, out there to volunteering and part-time jobs, more ways to kind of.

Navigate in and find out what people are doing and those careers and how they got there. So there’s definitely a lot of ways to think about those career goals and find out more about. Say you are the opposite of that. If you don’t know what career you want to be in, um, and you are [00:21:00] kind of undecided. And so what, um, schools then might be good for you?

How do you go about that search again? Liberal arts institutions produce, uh, graduates with wide, uh, Skillsets, um, in critical thinking and communication in research that could probably go on to over range of graduate programs or careers. Um, a lot of schools, large and small have, um, some specific majors or programs for undecided students and offer.

Maybe specialized advisors that work with undecided students. So that can be something you can look for in your search process, kind of how does this college help undecided students, um, navigate their trajectory? Uh, another great, great option might be institutions that have really strong co-op and internship supports.

Um, so giving you. [00:22:00] Opportunities maybe to have multiple internships or real work experiences to help you kind of hone in a little bit more on what you want to do. Even, you know, eliminate things, but trying them and getting out there and seeing what is your right fit. Um, so that can be a great way to really get hands on and experience things while you’re earning credit.

Um, of course, you know, just kind of like stepping back and taking a year off, uh, as a gap here can be an option as well. If you’re intentional about kind of what you do for that year and exploring, um, your strengths and, um, Maybe taking on an internship or some classes or. Making a good use of your time to, to think about, you know, how that’s going to move you forward.

So that’s definitely a possibility as well, as, you know, starting out with your basic classes and earning an associates degree, making a plan to transfer after you get [00:23:00] started with the associate’s degree. So if you’re truly undecided, that’s certainly one way to go as well, just to kind of knock out some basic credits and set yourself up to continue on elsewhere.

So some students, I think this happens a lot of why. I think I described myself this way. Right. I went in as a business major and totally changed my mind. Uh, lucky. Luckily I changed it early enough that this didn’t really set me back. In terms of credits. I did take a few over the summer in order to still graduate on time, but, um, it can set you back.

And so if you want to change your minds kind of midway through college, but what you want to study, um, you want to reach out to those career centers, those advisors, to really help you navigate that. So much support in colleges, uh, that isn’t really taken full advantage of usually by students. Um, so get out there [00:24:00] and use all the resources that you have.

If you’re thinking you want to change direction, um, you could consider transferring to a different institution. Um, this is something out with takes, you know, a lot of research to do well. You want to make sure all your credits are gonna transfer smoothly. Um, it can be a bit complicated. Um, sometimes it may make more sense to say, put and finish what you started in and then look at, you know, your options for advanced degrees after graduation.

Um, rather than losing credits, trying to transfer or, um, losing time by changing me. It’s sometimes it would make more sense just to kind of finish out and then go on for another master’s degree or further or something called a post-bacc certificate. So this happens sometimes with people who decide, you know, after they graduate that they want to go to medical school, but maybe they hadn’t taken all of their prerequisite requirements in undergrad to [00:25:00] apply to medical school.

And so their. Post-bac certificates out there that allow you to, just to complete just those requirements to get yourself qualified, to apply. So that’s one example. Um, you might. Just kind of tack on a minor, a concentration, different colleges have different names for these sorts of like extra specializations you can get.

So sometimes you can kind of, um, dabble in a different field that way, even a little bit later in the game. Um, and then another thing would just be to get that extra industry experience through internships and kind of set yourself on that new path with the real experience. So. It’s definitely possible to, to change your path after you get started, actually pretty, pretty typical thing to happen in college.

You’re just exposed to so many new things. Once you get. Um, as far as being [00:26:00] successful in college, I kind of already highlighted this a little bit in the fact that it’s just really taking advantage of the things that you’ve got there. You’re going to have so many resources at your fingertips. There will be.

All sorts of workshops and advising, um, opportunities like different advising centers and tutoring centers that will be lectures on campus, different, you know, career focused student organizations that you can join and get involved with. Um, the professors will be an excellent resource as far as building your network, helping you, you know, find internships and experiences.

There are lots of different research programs at colleges, um, to help you. Find, uh, things within the college, but also, you know, what other colleges are summer options to participate in research. And then I think, you know, really continuing to use that network as an alumni, [00:27:00] um, and stay connected with your institution.

Um, there are often career, um, workshops and things that go on for you as an alum as well. Your institution is always kind of there for you helping you out. It’s even if you, even after you graduate, it’s still in their best interest for you to be a successful person. Right. Because you’re like an advertisement for their institution.

Right. So they still want to help you out. They’re always there for you. So it can be, um, hard. I know, as a high school student to figure out, you know, what you want to do, you may, may or may not know. Um, my, uh, top advice is always just to do your best in your classes, just to kind of really stay focused on that, on your academics and think about which ones, you know, really are.

Resonating with you. They, you know, really where you feel excited and think about what kinds of [00:28:00] extra, you know, like projects or how you can go kind of above and beyond in the subjects that are really. Close to your heart and think about, you know, how you can extend that over the summer and explore where you can kind of step back and think about it from a bigger picture perspective and think about, um, you know, what problems in the world do you want to help solve?

How do you want to contribute and the subjects that you like that you Excel in? How can you use. Um, skills and, um, topics to contribute to solutions to those problems that you want to work on. So then rather than thinking of just, you know, what career do I want to be in? Just what do I want to help solve?

What is my, you know, mission and kind of put a different perspective on it. Um, sometimes that helps to kind of figure out that path. So we’re going to [00:29:00] take a poll here. The Kenzie scatter got us through this. Yes. So, um, where are you in the application process? Haven’t started, I’m researching schools. I’m working on essays.

I’m getting my application materials together, or if you’re really lucky, I’m almost done. And while we wait on those answers to roll in, um, can you tell us a bit about, um, some of your experience with helping students in navigating their, um, career path? Oh, yeah. I think every student yeah. Is really different and it’s so much fun.

This is, uh, my, uh, favorite part of being, um, involved in this with students is just seeing how excited they get about, you know, their futures and their careers, and really thinking about those problems that they want to help solve. And it makes me feel happy knowing that. [00:30:00] All those students are going out into the world to make it a better place.

So I just feel really lucky to, to work with students, um, on that. And it’s so much fun thinking about kind of all the different things they could do and thinking about those big dreams. So, um, I know that wasn’t very specific, but I think it’s just a, a really exciting time for students. And I hope that everyone feels excited about all the possibilities that they have in front of them.

It can sometimes feel overwhelming thinking about it, but, um, it should be, you know, super exciting and, uh, Definitely honestly, it’s my reason high school is the best age to work with because it’s like, there’s still, there’s so much you can do still. And it is looking like, um, 11% haven’t started. 67% are researching schools and the lucky 22% are almost done.

Oh, congratulations.[00:31:00]

Should we go on.

All right. So, um, in thinking about all these goals and what you want to do, um, how are we gonna, you know, show that in your college application? Um, so one way is by kind of having sort of a long-term involvement in something, you know, really thinking about what that thing is that excites you and really diving into it.

And. Um, contributing to it over time, taking it to a high level also within your coursework. So that academic depth in that particular topic, um, and focusing in on it. Going beyond, uh, even maybe what’s available at your high school, thinking about how you can take it to the local, you know, college or community college, or take some extra Coursera [00:32:00] courses or something, just to really show that you have that extra drive, um, to go beyond.

Um, and then thinking about kind of how it’s all coming together in your application. So thinking about. What you’re presenting as a story, you know, to the admissions office, like this is who I am and what I’m about and kind of bringing all the. Pieces together in different parts of your application. So you’ll probably, um, you know, talk to your recommenders about what you want to do and make sure that they’re, you know, on the page with you about how you’re presenting yourself and think about the things that you’re going to say in your statements and making sure that you’re reflecting all those great goals that you have.

Um, Highlighting all of those activities and accomplishments. So it’s going to shine through in the different parts of your application. If you, um, kind of have really kind of put that work in going, um, [00:33:00] leading up to the application process, um, as we’re winding down here, I just have some last bits of advice.

Um, So I hope this kind of brings it all together, right? Every student is individual. There’s no kind of right answer here. Um, with the college admissions process, um, there are only complicated answers usually. Um, so, uh, it’s really, um, your individual process. It’s going to be different for you than everybody else.

And you always had to keep that at the center of it. Um, sometimes, you know, students really feel like they’re the only one who’s confused or doesn’t know what’s going on or exactly what they want to do. And I promise you, even if it seems like everybody else knows exactly what they’re doing. They probably don’t everyone [00:34:00] is just as confused as you and figuring it out.

So, uh, don’t feel, you know, alone, um, reach out and ask for help through all of this. Um, and, uh, there’s always somebody who can kind of help you. The gate thing is it’s, it’s complicated and confusing time for sure. Um, definitely as I mentioned, keep an open mind to a variety of different colleges. If you, you know, box yourself in from the beginning on one specific thing, it can be hard, uh, to develop, um, a list.

That’s going to leave you with a variety of options at the end, and think about, you know, how your priorities or interests may even be changing. Over the course of time from that end of sophomore year through, um, that senior year. So you can keep an open mind to kind of changing [00:35:00] and embracing, you know, different opportunities that kind of are presented to you along the way.

Um, one thing that we know is that there are careers, uh, that you are gonna have in the future jobs that you were going to do that haven’t been invented yet or thought of. So, um, this is really going be, you know, the first step for you. This is going to be the, um, initial. Uh, goal, you know, after college into this first career, but this may not be, you know, your final destination, um, and there may be more education and things in between.

Um, so it’s a, it’s a continuous path. And, um, you want to think about, you know, how the skin and gets you started to, um, continue. Like with a solid foundation for the future of all the different options you may have that we don’t even know about [00:36:00] yet. Um, when you are thinking about, you know, putting all these goals and ideas into your application, I encourage you to really think big, um, and specific when naming those things in your applications.

So. Rather than just saying, you know, I’m really interested in this major. Um, more so, like I’m really interested in this career and I want to be the president of that company and make this invention and really kind of paint a picture for those colleges that you’re the type of person who is going to go out and be that alum that makes them proud with what.

Ambitious things you have in mind for your future, whether that’s, you know, a specific career goal or a big problem in the world that you want to start working on, um, in one particular way. [00:37:00] So think big, um, think about those problems that you’re gonna solve. And I’d love to hear about them. And I’m always excited for high schoolers to.

Really, um, think about all the possibilities that they have in front of them. Um, and keep an open mind. So that is, that’s my advice. I think we’re going to now flip over to see what questions. Yes. So that is the end of the presentation part of the web of the webinar. I hope you found this information helpful and remember that you can download the slides from the link in the handouts tab.

Also, this webinar is being recorded. If you want to do it later, um, moving onto the live Q and a I’ll read through your questions, you said. And the Q and a tab and read them aloud before our panelists gives you an answer as a heads up, if your Q and a tab, isn’t letting you submit questions, just make sure that you join the webinar through the custom links into your email and not from the webinar landing page.

If you joined from the webinar landing page, also known as [00:38:00] the website, um, you won’t get all the features of big marker. So just make sure you join through that custom link. And yes. And so, um, yes, please feel free to submit your questions in the Q and a tab. And we’ll start off with, um, this question. Um, How can students figure out what they are interested in, in high school, um, to figure out their, um, future.

Yeah. So, um, I really think you want to like lean into your classes, right? Think about which classes you were doing well in get you really excited, maybe talk to the teachers of those classes about your particular interests, about your interest in going further, um, in what careers. So you’re just, your teachers could be a great reason.

Um, your guidance, counselor and counselors at school can help out as well. Um, if you have something at your school like NA beyond or score, or my alerting, a lot of times there are [00:39:00] some sort of like, like quizzes you can take on there, like some career interests, things that can help you sort of. Narrowed down, or just start you thinking about what types of careers, you know, might be right for you, what your skills are.

So I would say like, um, you probably want to start, you know, within your high school and see what resources you have there to help you out. Um, and then. Go from there. Yes, that is very true. I love taking those quizzes just to see the different list. Um, so going along with that, um, how can a student pick the right school for them?

That’s going to help them achieve their form of success? Yeah, that’s a good question. Um, it can be difficult. Because, as I mentioned, [00:40:00] there can be more than once. There definitely is more than one school that can help you get to where you want to be. Um, you also have to think about, you know, like which one is the like financially right.

Ones to help you get to where you want to be, um, and take all those factors into account. So, um, I think you kind of have to go with the mindset that there’s not just one place for you. There, there are multiple places that could help you achieve your goals and just kind of keep that at the forefront of your search process.

Um, and then kind of like finding that. Exact match comes in really at, towards the end of the process when you have options. And you’re kind of comparing them side by side. So, um, I wouldn’t probably get too wrapped up in finding the perfect fit from, um, the beginning, but thinking more about, um, you [00:41:00] know, giving yourself options in the longterm so you can compare them to.

Hmm, one thing that I’ve been telling my students too with that is also, um, when looking at even majors, looking at how the structure of the program is set up. Cause like one of my students was interested in psychology, but they were really interested in doing like social justice issues. So, um, at NYU. The regular psychology program in the college of arts and sciences, but they also have the applied psychology in the Steinhardt school, which is focused a bit more on culture.

Um, like the humanity side, a bit more than science and actually applying theory. So even with. Schools looking how programs, um, what their focuses and if it lines up with like the skills interests and like, um, values that you have, um, when you think about how you want to be as a career, um, same thing with like things like law programs.

So if you’re interested in being like the top lawyer, Big deals going to a school [00:42:00] that has that sort of focus may be more important. But if you’re looking for more like, um, pro bono work or doing more social justice issues, maybe looking for a school that may not have like the top client, like students go into the top clientele of law firms, but like they have a strong focus on like taking sociology courses, taking, um, what is a quality courses and different things like that.

Yeah. That’s a great example. Uh, yeah. I had a student a few years ago that I worked with who was interested in, you know, Marine biology and, uh, law. Um, so we were looking at, you know, like environmental law, but colleges that also had good Marine biology programs kind of associated with that. So yeah, if you do have some really specific things in mind, getting down into the particular classes that are available within those majors, Can really, um, help you.

And that, that often does come [00:43:00] in at the application stage, right. When you’re really getting into figuring out, like, why do I really want to apply to this place? I have to write a 600 words about it for some, for some places it’s that you have that many words. And so, um, it does take a bit of research to kind of get into those details.

Uh, so no student is asking, um, this is kind of related to courses, but, um, well, undergrads be able to choose their own schedule as in college. Yeah. So that is definitely one of the new experiences you’ll have going to college or right. Like, uh, in high school you’re often used to being told, like, here’s your schedule, this is what you have to do.

And this is what you’re taking. Um, in college, you’ll definitely have a lot more opportunity to. Choose what you want. And even at the time of day that you want, and with certain professors, um, [00:44:00] some colleges may have a little bit more restrictions or less freedom in their curriculum and choices. Um, but, uh, the normal, the kind of norm is that you really get to, um, make your own schedule, figure your own, um, trajectory out.

Um, You have an advisor to help you, you have, um, you know, different people who you can ask. Sometimes you have to get certain approvals to, to take certain things or do certain things, or take certain things in a certain order. Um, but, uh, you’re usually in charge there. So, um, it is like a new experience to figure out kind of how you’re gonna fit all this together.

Um, at the end of the day it’s, it’s definitely, um, you and. He is one I’ve, I’m more of a morning person, but even still 8:00 AM classes are just not fun. So I’d recommend taking 9:00 AM or later. [00:45:00] Um, but having that extra free time and navigating your schedule is really. And so real quick, um, once work one-on-one with an advisor from our team of over 200 plus advisors and admissions officers, uh, sign up for a free consultation with us by going to CollegeAdvisor.com and clicking the green chat button in the bottom, right of this screen from there, just read in consultation and a live team, and we’ll get back to you to help, um, set up a free consultation with us.

And also at the end of this webinar, you’ll automatically, um, have. Simple form that pops up on your screen. And if you provide your information, a I’m one of our team members we’ll reach out to you, um, to get in touch about setting up a meeting and account. Um, and then CollegeAdvisor is just a really wonderful tool.

We have a bunch of amazing advisors with a bunch of different experiences and they can really help you navigate the admissions process and really see how I’m picking a certain school can help you with choosing, uh, your career paths, how [00:46:00] it’s going to. How to navigate high school and then beyond, uh, in this time.

And it’s really good to have like that one-on-one sort of meeting to really be able to get the support you need. And you’re looking for throughout your process, since, as Shannon said, this is a very individual process. There’s no one way. So really having that one-on-one support can help. And so jumping back into the QA.

So I heard you mentioned your majors and then your husbands of major in architecture, right? That’s also an architect. So that’s funny, but one thing that I’ve been talking about with my dad and then my students also is like how flexible, um, career, I mean, not curious, um, majors are in terms of careers. So what would you say, um, how should.

Students go about choosing their majors and how flexible are they in terms of careers? Yeah. Um, I think [00:47:00] that, yeah, you can be, you can have any career practically with, with any major, right? You can always change directions or like refocus a bit with internships. Um, you know, some like you can’t. Major in education and be a doctor at the end of it.

Um, some things are super specific and what you need to do to get there, but, um, for many, uh, jobs it’s, it’s possible to start from, uh, from a wide range of majors. So I think those where it’s really important to. Work with that career center to think about people who are in that position and how they got there.

Um, there can be different paths to, um, to get to our particular career. So, um, again, there’s not one, one, and only one way to get to any destination. Um, [00:48:00] so yeah, you can kind of keep an open mind and think about, um, the multiple. That thing that I was saying with another one of my clients, but she’s interested in dance, but also, um, law, uh, like defense law.

And so she was saying that she doesn’t see how those could possibly align, uh, Telling her that, um, even though they aren’t directly related, you can kind of make them relate it if you like really have passions and boats. So I was suggesting like, even with like dancers there, I’m all about like body language and posture and movement.

And in law, you really have to be confident in how you move in body. Language is important to like really helping with those cases. So like, um, she could even become like, As consultant for lawyers to like, teach them how to like stand up properly or move properly in the courtroom in order to win their cases and be more effective lawyers.

So it’s like, it’s really, there is a lot of freedom [00:49:00] and like Shannon said, there’s some jobs that haven’t even been created yet. So really just having fun and doing what you like is probably the best thing about the, um, process. Um, so going on to the next question, um, so you were mentioning, um, how there are different resources that, um, colleges and like the different resource centers, um, how can students go about like actually using those and how do you feel like from your perspective in those offices?

Yeah. Um, So at smaller institutions, you’re, you’ll probably be, you know, a lot more, um, Guided, you know, to those places sort of automatically, or maybe you’re required to check in to different places, um, at a larger institution, you know, you may be more responsible for, um, seeking out those things on [00:50:00] your own.

So you really just have to pay attention, you can’t to what is out there and, you know, go to those different fairs and events and lectures and things that you see, you kind of have to really, um, plug in and. Do your research to know, you know, what’s available there. Um, it’s basically like, you know, you’re paying for it.

It’s, you’re entitled completely to take advantage of those services. So certainly, um, you should take advantage of everything that is out there for you. So. I don’t know. Do you take advantage of your career resources? Probably not. Right. The career resource office. Not as much, but I did recently like start reaching out to my advisor because I [00:51:00] wanted to do a few.

This upcoming semester. So I actually had to reach out to him and talk to him and it turns out all of his research, he does is the same research that I want to do in the future. So have people that just line up perfectly and you wouldn’t even know. Cause I didn’t know until I looked it up and then he was able to appoint me to other people, um, that can help me with my actual field work and getting the paperwork go down and figuring out what to do.

So like the resources are really there and they really. They kind of just sit in their offices and they’re waiting for you sometimes, you know, the first place you go might not be the right. But you kind of like keep going and keep talking to people and asking eventually you’re going to find that right person who knows how to connect you to what you want to do, or really help you find that right opportunity.

So, It may take a little bit more work, like to find like, [00:52:00] who is the right professor, that’s working on this thing that you want to work on, or, um, which, uh, career advisor, if they’re like multiple of them, they’re like specializes in, you know, the area that you’re interested in. Some people are just more helpful than others.

So like finding, finding the one that you kind of jive with and can really connect to. Um, may just take a little bit of, of, uh, revisiting on your part to, to get there. So, uh, going back, um, you mentioned that you switched majors and I did too. So that was very, I understand, switching into education. Um, how did you go about like, knowing it was time to switch?

Um, what were sorta like your telephones? Was it more courses or like outside experience? How did you go about that? And how did you know the next choice was the right. Yeah. So if I go all the way back, I have always had a phobia of math and I probably should have taken calculus in high school, which [00:53:00] would have better prepared me for calculus in college.

So when I got to business calculus, that’s when I knew I had to change my major out of business. And so, uh, and I think, you know, I wasn’t that invested in. Anyways. So at the first roadblock that I hit, I was willing to kind of change directions and reevaluate. And that’s when I did go to advisors to that career office and, you know, do some of those interest inventories and really think about what my strengths are and what.

What kind of environments I like to be in and landed in education. So I didn’t land in the right spot and education at first, but, you know, I kept going down that path and got to a different side of education. That is the right fit for me. So, um, it wasn’t a straight [00:54:00] path. Um, but, uh, it’s, it’s the right one that got me to.

Yeah, destination chem 2070 was the class that got me then, um, it was random how I got to school counseling, but my yoga teacher was out for pregnancy and maternity leave. And then we had a substitute yoga teacher who just happened to be a college ISER. Uh, so I ended up talking to her about her career and that’s how.

Figure it out, like what I want it to do next. So that one was pretty random. It was a PE class. So, um, so as we close up the webinar, is there any final advice that you’d like to give on navigating high school and then college and beyond? Okay. So I think I’ll just reiterate some of the, you know, advice, which is just, you know, to really lean into the things that you’re passionate about and take [00:55:00] them as far as you can.

Um, Keep an open mind in the college search process and think about, you know, multiple places that could be a fit for you. Um, and think about those just, you know, big problems in the world that you want to help resolve and go out and do it. And I. All the faith in you all making the world a better place and really solving some of those problems.

So, um, congratulations on getting this far, especially that person who’s almost done with the process and good luck to everybody else. And, uh, thanks for joining us. Yes. Thank you everyone for coming out tonight and thank you to our families. Shannon, I hope you found this information helpful. And, um, so that is the end of the webinar.

We had a really great time telling you about mapping out your goals from high school to college graduation. And here’s the rest of our January series, which is really focusing on new [00:56:00] year, new you and really, um, figuring out this admissions process, especially since a lot of you are just getting started and some here are.

Earlier, uh, there is a webinar that we recently did on, um, creating a passion project in high school. And there are a few more on passion projects if you’d like to figure out more about very hot, what you might like to do. Um, so really, um, go well with this webinar tonight on navigating high school in college.

So thank you again, everyone for coming out and good night.